Ponderings on Community & Peace

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Monthly Archives: February 2012

Last night at a prayer meeting we were discussing the topic of forgiveness. More specifically the way men and women remember in regards to forgiveness. I noted that I had done a little research several years ago in relation to the way men and women remember in regards forgiveness. In my research and I don’t remember the source(s). I found that women tended to be able to retain the pain of a specific incident for a longer period of time, and were able to pull up that incident with dead accurate specificity at the drop of a hat, especially in the face of a situation that was very simillar. This dealt more specifically with the marital relationship.
It mostly involved a case where the male had thought that he had been forgiven for a past incident, when he truly/clearly had not been, indeed words of forgiveness had never been spoken, but both parties had simply moved on or past the situation, leaving the specter of forgiveness looming in the air, waiting to drop at the appropriate time.
The solution to the problem seems to be easy enough, in that we just need to deal with these things in an honest and forthright manner. But we are human and by nature very complex. So we do not in all cases do things the simple way. Blame for this I don’t believe falls to a particular party, it is and must be shared, if indeed the deired outcome for both parties is resolution of the matter.
In order for a person to either give or to receive forgiveness, the issue at hand needs to be clearly expressed so that both parties know without a doubt what the true issue really is, the forgiveness being offered has to line up exactly with the forgiveness being received elsewise you do not have true forgiveness.
I have no expectation that these words here will have any kind lasting effect or impact, after all, they are just some my ponderings on the topic.
The hope is I guess; that others to might ponder these things in their own life and relationships.
Back to the title, do you think that Eve asked to be forgiven? Did she receive forgiveness? Did she ever forget what had happened? Did she in her heart blame Adam? or, did she take full responsibilty for what she had done and have an expectation that Adam would do the same?
I sure that other questions about this should/could be asked, but for now I will ponder these, as I ponder the importance and significance of forgiveness for all of us …